Connect with us

Utah

Utah man comes home from Idaho with tale of state record sturgeon catch

Published

on

Utah man comes home from Idaho with tale of state record sturgeon catch


EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — A person went on a fishing journey to Idaho earlier this month and got here residence with a story of a state report sturgeon catch.

Greg Poulsen and his spouse went on a guided fishing journey on Aug. 5 on the Snake River close to C.J. Strike Reservoir when Poulsen had an enormous tug on the road.

“It simply feels such as you’re reeling in a fridge off the underside of this river,” Poulsen advised KSL TV in an interview Tuesday night. “As quickly as I hooked it up and we began reeling it in, the sturgeon got here up and it jumped out of the water and it was like one thing on ‘Shark Week.’ It was large. We have been like, ‘holy crap,’ and the information began freaking out as a result of he knew it was a extremely large one.”

It WAS a extremely large one — 10-feet, 4-inches lengthy, sufficient to shatter the earlier Idaho state report.

Advertisement

“As a result of it was 48 inches round and the way lengthy it’s, they’ve received a reasonably good thought how a lot they weigh and he stated it might be someplace round 600 kilos,” Poulsen stated. “It was so large that three individuals have been holding the underside jaw, so it was simply large.”

Due to state legal guidelines, Poulsen caught the sturgeon and launched it shortly after it was measured.

He stated it was fairly the journey — additionally catching two 9-footers, an 8-footer and a 7-foot-long fish.

“Normally I catch the littlest fish out of all people, so I received actually fortunate this time,” Poulsen stated. “This was by far the most effective fishing expertise I’ve ever had and never even shut.”

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Utah

Power agency warns of federal backlash, urges Cox to veto Utah coal plant bill

Published

on

Power agency warns of federal backlash, urges Cox to veto Utah coal plant bill


The Intermountain Power Agency has urged Gov. Spencer Cox to veto a recently adopted energy bill, warning the measure could have widespread repercussions for Utah.

SB161, approved during the final week of the 2024 Legislature, could force IPA to sell a coal-fired power plant, which is set to be shut down, to the state to keep it operating.

Cox has until Thursday to take final action on the legislation. His office said Monday he is “still reviewing” the legislation but would not comment further. SB161 fell three votes short of a veto-proof majority in the Utah House and two votes short in the state Senate.

The GOP-controlled Legislature worries the state may not be able to meet the growing population’s electricity needs without coal-fired power plants.

Advertisement

At the same time, IPA is working to shutter its coal-fired power plant in Millard County next summer and switch to a natural gas-powered facility as part of a transition to more environmentally friendly plants.

Under SB161, IPA must apply to the state for a new permit by July 1, 2024, to keep the coal plant operating. But IPA has an agreement with the federal Environmental Protection Agency to cease operation of the coal plant by July 1, 2025.

On March 8, IPA Chair Nick Tatton sent a letter to Cox asking him to veto SB161 and spelling out the potential consequences if he does not. In that letter, obtained through an open records request, Tatton warned that applying for a permit to continue operating the Millard County plant would break the existing agreement with the EPA

“By committing to submit an application for an Alternative Permit by July 1, 2024,” Tatton wrote, “IPA would risk EPA action to effectively shut down the existing coal-fired facilities by mid-November 2024.”

Ash accord

Burning coal for power produces ash that is stored in large ponds. In 2015, the EPA issued new rules for storing coal ash, and those facilities could be closed until they met the new regulations.

Advertisement

In 2018, the EPA triggered the closure of IPA’s ash impoundment units with a mandate that they be brought into compliance by 2021. Because IPA was in the process of closing its coal plants, the EPA agreed to a longer timeline. Tatton noted that SB161 forces IPA to break that deal, which could lead the feds to order a shutdown of those ash storage facilities.

“The risk is real. EPA has taken similar action with respect to coal-fired generating facilities in other states, issuing orders for those facilities to cease operating their impoundments within 135 days,” Tatton wrote. “The only way for IPA to comply with such a mandate would be to cease burning coal — and producing electricity — altogether.”

Tatton warned that Utah will face other risks if Cox signs the bill. It could imperil construction of IPA’s gas-powered plant, dubbed IPA Renewed, for which the organization has issued more than $2 billion in bonds and expects to spend billions more.

Attempting to keep the coal plant open beyond July 1, 2025, might also impact Rocky Mountain Power. The state has submitted its plan for reducing regional haze to the EPA for review. That plan, which is still under evaluation by the federal agency, did not require RMP to install pricey pollution controls on its Hunter and Huntington coal-fired plants because IPA was set to close its coal units.

“Requiring even one of those units to continue operating,” Tatton stated, “will almost certainly require other Utah industrial sites to install costly pollution controls.”

Advertisement

IPA and others raised these concerns with lawmakers during the 2024 session to no avail.

Air quality concerns

On Feb. 28, the same day lawmakers gave final approval to SB161, Tatton and other municipal leaders wrote to Cox, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, EPA Region 8 Administrator KC Becker and Utah Department of Environmental Quality Executive Director Kim Shelley.

The letter warned that the legislation could spur a legal dispute, costing taxpayers “substantial amounts of money.” It also said proponents, including sponsoring Sen. Derrin Owens, R-Fountain Green, have falsely asserted the bill does not impact federal law, specifically the regional haze plan

The Feb. 28 letter raised the prospect that Utah’s DEQ was allowing itself to be steamrolled by state lawmakers.

“When faced with the prospect of EPA involvement in this issue, DEQ has urged EPA and state legislators not to become involved because DEQ has been purportedly attempting to resolve the bill’s issues,” the letter said. “However, through asking direct questions to DEQ leadership about its efforts to oppose SB161, IPA’s representatives learned that DEQ is not effectively engaged to keep SB161 from passing or to request amendments to SB161 to address our legal and practical concerns. Today’s actions by the Utah House of Representatives underscore the fact that DEQ does not have the situation under control.”

Advertisement

The EPA responded March 7, explaining that state laws cannot create an exception to federal regulations and that enacting the legislation could lead to federal intervention to enforce those regulations. Keeping either or both of the IPA plants operating would require revising the state’s regional haze proposal. If the EPA rejects the updated proposal, it could implement its own air quality plan that the state would be required to implement.

Owens provided The Salt Lake Tribune with a copy of a response to the EPA letter penned by Michael Nasi, a partner with the Texas-based Jackson Walker law firm. The outside firm conducted a feasibility study, which is the basis for SB161, for keeping the IPA facilities running.

(According to the state’s financial transparency website, Utah has paid Jackson Walker nearly $400,000 so far this year.)

Nasi’s response letter criticized IPA for soliciting federal intervention and accuses it of colluding with the EPA.

“The solicitation of EPA’s letter,” Nasi wrote, “is an extremely questionable legal tactic, given how it functionally invites a federal agency (that has recently demonstrated a hostility toward both the rule of law and the state of Utah’s sovereignty) to prematurely and unnecessarily weigh in on issues that are, at this time, squarely within exclusive authority of the state of Utah.”

Advertisement

The response letter also asserts that any threat of intervention by the EPA is premature and would be an unwelcome federal overreach.

That could set up another showdown between the state and the federal government because of other legislation passed this year. SB57 creates a process for the state to ignore federal laws and regulations. Lawmakers repeatedly cited onerous federal environmental regulations as the need for the bill. Legislative lawyers warned that the measure could conflict with the Constitution’s supremacy clause, which says federal law takes precedence over state law.



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

Utah plays UC Irvine in NIT matchup

Published

on

Utah plays UC Irvine in NIT matchup


UC Irvine Anteaters (24-9, 17-4 Big West) at Utah Utes (19-14, 10-12 Pac-12)

Salt Lake City; Tuesday, 11 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Utah and UC Irvine meet in the National Invitation Tournament.

The Utes are 10-12 against Pac-12 opponents and 9-2 in non-conference play. Utah is 3-1 in games decided by less than 4 points.

Advertisement

The Anteaters’ record in Big West play is 17-4. UC Irvine is second in the Big West scoring 38.4 points per game in the paint led by Bent Leuchten averaging 6.5.

Utah averages 78.1 points, 10.3 more per game than the 67.8 UC Irvine gives up. UC Irvine scores 5.1 more points per game (77.7) than Utah gives up (72.6).

TOP PERFORMERS: Branden Carlson is scoring 17.1 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Utes. Deivon Smith is averaging 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Justin Hohn is shooting 38.2% from beyond the arc with 1.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Anteaters, while averaging 12.7 points. Andre Henry is averaging 11.6 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Utes: 4-6, averaging 75.2 points, 37.5 rebounds, 16.3 assists, 5.3 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.5 points per game.

Advertisement

Anteaters: 7-3, averaging 81.3 points, 37.6 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 5.9 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.8 points.

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

Utah County Commission chair calls for resignation of Tom Sakievich over ability to work

Published

on

Utah County Commission chair calls for resignation of Tom Sakievich over ability to work


PROVO —  One of Utah County’s three commissioners has been battling a tumor causing him to miss a series of recent commission meetings and other county work.

Tom Sakievich announced the health issue back on Jan. 3 in a Facebook post.

Emails obtained by KSL TV reveal it was even before that when the health issues started, landing him in the hospital in early December.

And the other commissioners now say that three months later, they have been left in the dark about his diagnosis and when Sakievich might return.

Advertisement

Commissioners Amelia Powers Gardiner and Brandon Gordon said county business is being left undone and Gordon, who chairs the commission, is calling for Sakievich to step down.

“Resignation is an option that’s been used in in other counties. And there’s nothing wrong with that that,” Gordon said.

Commissioner Brandon Gordon said county business is being left undone and Gordon, who chairs the commission, is calling for Sakievich to step down. (KSL TV)

“We are getting almost daily complaints from community organizations, internal departments, citizens, other governmental entities that say that they can’t get a hold of that office,” said Powers Gardiner.

“Part of it is that there’s just no communication. The other part of that is we have, you know, financial approvals that are happening. And if he’s not well enough to call into a meeting via Zoom, but we have financial approvals happening, I question who’s making those approvals,” Powers Gardiner said.

Advertisement

Sakievich did not return KSL’s calls for an interview.

Sakievich’s policy advisor, Lisa Shephard, did agree to a Zoom interview.

She said she has been filling in for Sakievich in meetings, whether on Zoom or in person when she’s known about them. But she denied that she’s covering for his ability to work.

“He has communicated mostly through me, but his phone has been available, and he has been able to have conversations,” she said. “There could have been an in-person meeting at any point to come do a check on him, see how he’s doing. And that didn’t happen,” she said.

She also accuses the two commissioners of playing politics with his health. Sakievich is not running for reelection, because of his tumor, his post said.

Advertisement

“To me, it seems like we’re trying to use Commissioner Sakievich’s health condition as a political weapon,” she said.

“There are candidates vying for [his seat] right now. I think the commissioners all have their chosen people. And, you know, it appears that some people want Commissioner Sakievich to resign so they can get somebody else in that seat,” Shephard said.

County business stalled

In December, Sakievich missed two of three meetings. The one he did make was via Zoom. In January, he was in person for three meetings and attended one via zoom. In February, he missed two of four meetings, and so far in March he has missed one meeting but attended another one via Zoom. He has not been at a commission meeting in person since Jan. 17.

“It’s interesting that a man who’s facing this fight of his life is still dedicated to the people of Utah County and making sure that he is prepared for all the meetings, even the meetings that he didn’t attend. He was prepared to attend those. And so those were last minute calls, whether he could be on those or not,” Shephard said.

Powers Gardiner and Gordon said it’s not just the commission meetings, but that Sakievich hasn’t attended important county business like the boards and councils he sits on, and that they weren’t sure if they were going to be able to canvass the Democratic primary in their county.

Advertisement

Tom Sakievich, policy advisor, Lisa Shephard said, ““It’s interesting that a man who’s facing this fight of his life is still dedicated to the people of Utah County and making sure that he is prepared for all the meetings, even the meetings that he didn’t attend.” (KSL TV)

They also say he missed the county’s State of the County. Further, he manages a portfolio of county contracts and serves as the chair of Wasatch Behavioral Health.

“We only have funding for our public defenders through June. And so we’re trying to negotiate a contract right now. And I’ve actually had to step in and start doing that negotiation,” Powers Gardiner said. “Another example is our attorney’s office needs another civil attorney and they’ve been unable to get a hold of anybody in his office to make that case to him,” Powers Gardiner said.

Recently, in a county commission meeting, Powers Gardiner and Gordon disagreed on an issue, which then couldn’t move forward because there was no tie breaking vote.

“We ended up just waiting to see if he would be in the meeting the next week and he was, fortunately able to vote to break that tie.” Gordon said.

Advertisement

But it was the day prior to that meeting that Gordon sent an email to Sakievich, Powers Gardiner, Ezra Nair (Utah County’s county administrator) titled, “Urgent meeting Request Regarding Commissioner Sakievich’s Work Plans.”

“While we wish well for Commissioner Sakievich and hope for the best with his prognosis, his prolonged absences from his Commission office has left significant duties unfulfilled, despite our additional efforts,” Gordon wrote.

March 22 deadline

It then outlined a list of assignments that the county needed answers on by March 22, and a call for his resignation if he couldn’t provide them.

“If you are unable to immediately return to work and fulfill the duties of your office, it would be appropriate and honorable to submit your resignation so that another person could be selected to finish your term and perform the substantial and important work required of a Utah County Commissioner,” Gordon wrote.

The commissioners both said that they empathize with what he’s going through, and they are trying to balance his health with the needs of their county.

Advertisement

“I want people to remember the three great years that he served and not remember that his will last year was spent having cancer treatments and not being in meetings and and not being able to sign documents,” Gordon said.

As for when Sakievich might return, Shephard said she was hopeful in the “next few weeks.”

“The treatments that he’s had, he’s not been sick. So that’s been a good part,” Shephard said. “But the radiation did make him very tired.”



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending